“This is a big deal,” Clinton said at a rally in Marquette Park for Walker’s Democratic challenger, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.

The former president linked Walker to “far right” and “Tea Party” politics that have promoted “constant conflict” instead of “creative cooperation.”

“To have a divide and conquer strategy is nuts,” Clinton told hundreds of Barrett supporters, many of whom are members of public employee unions enraged that Walker eliminated their collective bargaining rights. “You get out of a ditch by standing on each other’s shoulders.”

“Cooperations works. Conflict is a dead bang loser. You move forward through shared prosperity in good times and shared sacrifice in bad times. Not winner take all, not breaking the unions,” he said.

Clinton said he’s philosophically opposed to recall elections, which provides an opportunity for voters to oust an incumbent before the end of his term — but not in Walker’s case. “Sometimes it’s a way to [defeat] disastrous forces,” he said.